📸 AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future by Kai-Fu Lee, Chen ...
In 2026, AI Is Already Part of Our Daily Lives
It's been a few years since ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini first appeared, and AI has evolved from a "fascinating technology" into an everyday tool. Yet most people still only use AI as a basic search replacement. In reality, it can do so much more.
In this article, I'll share 10 practical AI life hacks you can start using right now in 2026, complete with specific prompt examples. No fancy technology required — just your smartphone and a free AI tool.
📸 AI10 Publications – Centre for AI Innovation (CE.A.I)
🏆 Hack #1: Let AI Handle Your Meal Planning
Upload a photo of your refrigerator to ChatGPT (or Claude) and ask:
"Tell me 3 healthy dinner recipes I can make with these ingredients. Include calorie counts."
AI recognizes the ingredients and generates recipes on the spot. With Gemini, you can even use Google Lens for automatic ingredient recognition. When keeping a food diary, simply send photos to AI and it will automatically analyze nutritional information.
📸 Ikar Ai-10 Ikar - Wikipedia
Practical Prompts
- "Today I ate: one bowl of rice, 200g pork belly, 2 shots of soju. Calculate calories and recommend tomorrow's meal plan"
- "I'm on a diet. Create a one-week 1500kcal meal plan for me"
📸 2022 AI's 10 to Watch Announced | IEEE Computer Society
📧 Hack #2: Write Email & Text Replies in 5 Seconds
Let AI handle those tedious email replies entirely. Copy the received email, paste it into Claude or ChatGPT, and say:
"Write a polite rejection reply to this email. In Korean, under 300 characters."
As of 2026, Claude excels particularly at understanding Korean context and adjusting tone. You can freely switch between formal language for your boss and casual language for friends.
Application Tips
- Auto-generate drafts for vacation requests, complaints, thank-you letters, and other official documents
- Use "Translate this English email to Korean and summarize only the key points"
📚 Hack #3: Summarize PDFs & Long Documents — Don't Read, Just Ask
Contracts, reports, research papers... instead of reading long documents, upload them to AI and ask questions. Claude can currently process up to 200,000 tokens (about 150,000 words), making it capable of analyzing entire books.
"Tell me if there are any clauses in this contract that are unfavorable to me"
"Explain the 3 key conclusions of this paper in a way an elementary school student can understand"
With ChatGPT Plus, you can upload PDFs and have interactive Q&A sessions. Gemini can directly connect to Google Drive files for analysis.
💻 Hack #4: Create Excel & Spreadsheet Formulas with Words
Ever struggled with Excel formulas? Now just explain it in words to AI:
"Column A has revenue, Column B has expenses. Give me formulas to calculate net profit in Column C and profit margin (%) in Column D with 2 decimal places"
Using ChatGPT's Advanced Data Analysis (Code Interpreter), you can upload actual CSV files for data analysis and even create graphs. Statistical analysis is solved through conversation without needing Python code.
🛒 Hack #5: Use AI for Price Comparison & Review Summaries When Shopping
Use Perplexity AI or Gemini's search function to collect and summarize product information in real-time:
"Recommend wireless earbuds under 200,000 won. Compare 2026 latest models with good call quality and long battery life"
Perplexity searches the latest web information and provides answers with sources, making it highly reliable. When Amazon or Coupang reviews are overwhelming, paste the review text and ask "Summarize positive/negative points" to quickly grasp the essentials.
🗣️ Hack #6: Use as a Foreign Language Conversation Practice Partner
Instead of an English conversation academy, practice with ChatGPT or Claude. In 2026, Voice Mode has significantly improved, enabling natural real-time conversations:
"You are my English conversation partner. Let's talk about my job interview. Please correct my grammar mistakes gently and explain why."
It immediately corrects mistakes and suggests more natural expressions. You can practice any language — Japanese, Chinese, Spanish — 24/7 for free.
📸 Hack #7: Solve Anything with Photos (Multimodal AI)
Smartphone camera + AI = The ultimate information tool. Here are current use cases for 2026:
- Plant photo → "Tell me this plant's name and how to care for it"
- Medicine packet photo → "Summarize precautions and dosage for this medication"
- Receipt photo → "Calculate my total cafe spending this month"
- Broken appliance photo → "Explain this error code and how to fix it"
ChatGPT's GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet 4.6, and Gemini 2.0 all excel at image recognition.
⏰ Hack #8: Morning Routine — Get a Daily Briefing from AI
Every morning for 5 minutes, ask AI to plan your day:
"Today's tasks: 2 morning meetings, report writing, evening appointment. Create a daily schedule in priority order. Also block out focused work time."
Google Gemini integrates directly with Google Calendar to view actual schedules and create optimized to-do lists. Microsoft Copilot integrates with Outlook and Teams for schedule management that understands work context.
💡 Hack #9: Use AI as a Home Tutor for Parenting & Education
More families are using AI for children's homework and learning. The key is not giving answers but explaining:
"Explain fraction division simply to a 5th grader. Use a pizza example."
While there are education-specific AIs like Khan Academy's Khanmigo and Google's LearnLM, Claude or ChatGPT also make excellent personal tutors. AI's patience in repeatedly explaining difficult concepts in various ways surpasses that of human teachers.
🔒 Hack #10: How to Use AI Safely (Watch Your Privacy!)
Here are essential security rules when using AI:
- Never enter social security numbers, account numbers, or passwords into AI
- Use enterprise versions (Claude Enterprise, ChatGPT Enterprise) for company confidential documents
- For important medical or legal information, use AI responses only as reference and consult professionals
- Always fact-check information generated by AI
As of 2026, most AI services may use user data for training on free plans. Consider paid plans or local LLMs (like Ollama) for sensitive tasks.
✅ Summary: AI Life Routine to Start Today
| Situation | Recommended AI | Key Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Email/Document Writing | Claude, ChatGPT | Generate draft then edit |
| Information Search/Latest News | Perplexity, Gemini | Real-time search with sources |
| Image Analysis | GPT-4o, Claude | Upload photo + ask questions |
| Data Analysis | ChatGPT Advanced | Upload CSV + request analysis |
| Schedule Management | Gemini, Copilot | Calendar integration + optimization |
The more you use AI, the better you get at it. Even if it feels awkward at first, try one thing each day. After three weeks, you'll naturally find yourself saying, "How did I live without AI?" 🚀
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